Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

the airplane was very useful because this was my first airplane and i made a good choice because it flies really well.but the battery lasts 6 minutes.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

The Estes Sky Squadron is a blast to fly. First thing to remember when you get to the (preferably large)field is that the steering requires you tap the stick. If you hold the stick more than 1-2 seconds, the steering input YOU THINK your giving the plane is ignored to protect against a crash. Simply move the stick left or right for two seconds at a time and steering is golden; even better to the left.Throttle is responsive & speed is at your control so be careful to not go too high to see the plane's direction and use the power to recover from the unwanted stall.Fly this plane in a large field in low wind and you'll surely have fun as I did with my 11 year old son.This plane was a great value [$]. Go get one or two and have a blast!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Flights are awesome for such an inexpensive little plane! She loves left turns, and will only fly for 7-10 minutes, and takes almost a half hour to charge, but heck get two and rotate em in and out for more fun. Fly on soft grass because she will take heavy damage to the nose if she crashes on a hard surface. I recommend this plane for anyone older than 7-8 or so because it is so easy to fly.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

this plane is so poorly made if anyone buys this i feel sorry because i flew the plane once or twice and the tail fell off so o no control for me thanks radio shack.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

So many bad reviews- but it seems that those folks CAN'T read directions. If you read the directions, most of the "problems" stated by others are clearly explained. This plane is alot of fun. It's not the most responsive, but if you "tap" the controller to turn (like they say in the instructions) it works fine. Also, it is designed to cut off after about 2 minutes of continuous flight- maybe that's when it becomes unresponsive as others have said???

This plane is cheap, but it's worth every penny to me. I would be really mad if this thing cost $200 and performed as it does- but for less than 1/10th that price, it's great value for the money!!

Don't fly it in high winds, don't try to land it on hard surfaces and expect it to survive very long. I've been flying mine in a large open field with some tall grass, and it's not so much as knocked the wing loose yet....


In fact, I think I'm going to go find another one!!! :)

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I went to buy the Star Scream and saw this plane. I thought I would take a chance as I have had about 3-4 different RTF planes that were junk prior to this purchase. This one was the same. Complete Junk. The motor sporadically cuts out and every time the plane comes to a landing the wings would fall off. They fell off so many times they would not stay attached. I am returning this defective item today. Very disappointing , even for [$]. I could make a better plane out of the dollar bills I spent.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

First, if you want this product to work right BUY RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES!!!
second, when i bought this product, i plugged in 6 rechargeable AA batteries and it went about 100 feet high and went long range. i flew it into about 20 trees, but it still works great. it is pretty fragile, you might need to balance it a little with a penny.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

This is the worst rc plane ever if you are going to get something this cheap your better off with a peice of paper!!!!!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

dude its great,15 bucks come on...use packing tape on the bottem of the wings and make sure you place alittle superglue on the rear mag on the tail,that will keep it in place,for 15 bucks you need to add a little bit of love to this gem and you will get a lot more out of it,if you want the best your gonna pay for it just like eveything in life....thinkabout it...........kp out

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

dont buy it... works but falls apart easily
mine... propeller came loose so i couldent fly it

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

It wasn't the most best plane I've ever had but if you flyed it once a week and in a large area of grass and no trees and almost no wind it would last a long time.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

The plane would stay up for no more than 7 seconds or 10-15 feet. Every time the wing would fall off when "landing" and tear. Time well spent with my girlfriend.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

That was fun! I read the instructions, followed them to the letter, and flew the poor thing till it was so smashed up and burned out I had to give it to my daughter for a glider! Fly it when the air is still, and have plenty of space. At least the size of a ballfield. It is foam and plastic. it will break when you run it into something hard. I did this several times. Each one my own fault. The "safeties" took some negotiation,but this airplane was designed with children in mind, not a thirty-something thrill junkie. I gotta find another one!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Bought it to break into the world of RC aircraft and found out that I got what I paid for in terms of this product being cheap in so many levels. I installed the prop and saw that it was not true, but I had read the instructions which stated that the weird angle is normal, so I paid no mind to that. After charging it for about 10 minutes, I turned it on and found that the prop had a severe wobble that was rattling the entire aircraft. When I flew it, it never responded to my turn commands. The aircraft quickly went out of range, about 150 feet away, then lost contact with the transmitter and the motor simply stopped. I tried again, this time make it turn immediately, but it flew straight, out of range, stop. After a few more attempts, I gave up.

One important thing to note, since you can't open the box to see the airplane before purchase: there are no servos in the airplane. There are only two ways to control the airplane, prop motor run or stop, rudder full left or full right which is actuated with this very delicate coil with a magnet suspended in the middle. The coil will deflect the magnet to full left or full right. Not very strong at all. I can see a child destroying the airplane immediately. It is very delicate in the tail section.

This is most definitely a DO NOT BUY item. If you are going to waste your money, send the money to me instead so that I can buy a better RC aircraft.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Ok, so I had one, it crashed and broke (not bent,) the propeller shaft. We flew it in high wind, oops. I since bought two more, figured ah,[$] each I can have twice the fun for [$]same price as some other low model planes.Not the same. This doesn't climb in altitude, it will occasionally reach hights of 25 feet if you catch a good wind. This flies to the left constantly, and it is hard to do right hand turns, (I had to put tape on the right rear tail to give it balance enough to do so.) The rivets pop out of the wing after two or so landings, because the hand hold ont he bottom of the wing catches the ground as you land. Use packing tape to hold back on. I did manage about a 3.5 minute flight, you have to restart the controller after 2 minutes, safety feature. It flew in left hand circles about 5-10 feet off the ground and slowly descended to a landing. I kept it floored the entire time, still didn't climb.I flew it enought to wear out a set of AA's, it no long will fly, I am on the to other one I bought now. I got 3 days of use out of it, about 12 total flight attempts. I reccommend looking for something else maybe 30 dollar range. They might fly higher.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

this thing would not fly at all, when i finally did get it into the air, the altitude was nearly impossible to control, and im a relativley experienced rc aircraft pilot, im sure if it was inside, like maybe a gym it would fly well, also, the wing attach thing was junk, im returning for the blackout heli

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

i absolutely could not beat the price to fun ration i had using this plane. it was up and flying for less than $15! i have a bunch of rechargeable batteries so i didnt even have to purchase that. this is my first rc plane. i normally fly rc helicopters so i found it easier to fly for the first time. i did not like the way you have to toggle the rudder and would probably like it to hold 8aa batteries instead of 6 for faster charge times and possibley longer control range just in case. i seemed to only get about 5 minutes flight time and also hated the fact that you have to reset the control before 2 minutes runs out. i made a video of my first flight after trimming it out (i used strips of tape stacked where the wing connects with the fuselage to tilt the main wings left or right until it flew straight. i did have 3 big crashes into light poles, fences, and trees with only minor damage and the thing still flys with a little packaging tape strategically applied. here is the youtube link if you want to see it in action for my first flight



i would buy another one but my wife would kill me

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

This is great for a first RC plane.
Very easy to assemble, charge and fly.
The L/R steering a little weak but
Every flight had an soft landing with no damage.
That means many flights without additional parts.
Dispite the short flight time it recharges pretty quick and your ready to go again.
Cant beat it for the money.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

This plane loves to turn left. You have to bang the turning stick very fast to get it to turn right. Other then that its a good flyer climbs well. just fly it like your on a ovel race track and you'll be ok.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I love the price and the box. But I didn't know it was Styrofoam. On the upside it has snap on wings that come off when the plane Crashes. On the Down side the planes wings fell off in mid flight and the body came down and broke in half. That was the first and last time I ever Flew the plane so I cant comment on this flying ability. I was able to return it for a full refund but the store was sold out, so I couldn't get another one. If you live next door to a Radio Shack, I would buy this again. I wouldn't worry because It will never make it outside the 30 day return period....

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I own about a dozen or so RC Flyers. This one ranks the lowest of all of them. Spend your money on the RC Transformers? StarScream Micro Flyer for some awesome fun and great control. For real beginners, Air Hogs offers some really easy ones.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

i thoght it was an intristing toy for[$] and i guess i was right i flew it a while and finely broke the snaps but it was werth it i can probably get it up and runing agin. it was fun seeing my frinds face when i out flew his high $ rc plain

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

A low price electronic toy, the best technology is the lithium ion battery, (which you probably won't get to take advantage of.) Unless you are an experience RC flyer, you will probably crash and break this plane. I flew it for about 30 minutes, in which I had several crashes and the wings were scuffed, and the rivets loosened and almost fell out. Just as I was getting use to the turning capabilities, I let my brother (18) fly the plane. He flew it into pine trees and crashed a few times, but managed much longer (30 second or so) flights. Then he took the plane about 20-30 feet up and it caught a wind gust, and promptly took a nose dive, his inexperience didn't allow him to pull it out of the dive, it crashed into the soft grass and bent the propeller prop, rendering the plane useless. You can replace the fuselage from the manufacturer, but might as well buy a new plane if you can find it.

I wanted to go out and buy another plane like this, but couldn't find it in stock. I might have gone through 3-4 of these before really getting it down, but it was fun.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Be sure to read directions because prop is purposely set at an angle. The first day I tried to fly it in the wind and failed miserably. The next morning I went to a baseball field (minimum recommended area!). I was able to control altitude and make gentle and hard left turns. It only turns right when the throttle is at zero so gain some altitude for righties. The break-away wings saved me numerous times. It appears to finally have given out after I crashed straight into the ground resulting in the motor stuck at full throttle. Now it doesn't appear to work. Still, I got a great session and (in my opinion) my 15 dollars worth. So I bought another. Hopefully I'll go easier on this one.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

5 seconds of flight, a rough landing, and then the motor axle was bent. Only way to fix it is to replace the complete body. [...]What a waste of money. Well, at least it's cheap.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Planes great fun to fly. Love break away Wings and components. But Tail Rudder Comes off easily just check it after every crash or landing. But Great flyer worth the money

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

very fun and easy to use. i can fly in the middle of the winter while there is snow on the ground. DO NOT BUY THE TRANSFORMERS PLANE, i got and returned it 2 times and it never worked. It is also nice that it can charge while the controler is off and that the wings can detach for transport. FIVE STARS(star scream gets -5 stars).

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

As a Dad who's been through a half dozen [$] RC planes with my two boys, I bought this to give my 6 year old daughter something to occupy herself while her older brothers were flying/crashing their "real" planes. However, the Sky Squadron quickly became a favorite. The design is really well thought out, and by that I mean the plane can land hard without sustaining devastating damage...not true of the "better" planes. The prop is front mounted, which is usually a bad idea on a trainer, however when the plane is laid flat the prop doesn't quite reach the ground. As a result, unless it's flown directly into something hard ( a fence, tree trunk etc) the prop and motor are spared.The wings are another typical casualty of hard landings in RC planes. Usually when a plane comes in hard it's also coming in unlevel...the lower wing tip catches the ground and the plane cartwheels hard, tearing chunks of wing off in the process. The Sky Squadron's angled wing tips, and a unique under-fuselage snap mount design keeps the wing safe, and allows it to pop free rather than sustain damage.Additionally, the plane has excellent glide characteristics. From a stall and dive only ten or so feet high, the plane will right itself and land gently and in the correct orientation. The flight controls are fairly primitive: power and rudder. Add power to climb, drop power to mid-stick for level flight, and down to 1/4 to keep the nose up while landing.Note that the normal position of the rudder is deliberately biased, so the plane will fly in a gentle circle. This prevents a common trainer problem known as "fly-away", where the plane gets out of range of the transmitter and no longer responds to commands. To change direction, just tap the stick repeatedly (don't hold) in the opposite direction to compensate.Due to its light weight and modest power, you cannot fly on windy days. Basically, anything more than 3-4 kts is too much (and no fun.)You also need a grassy field with at least 300 ft clear area in all directions. It's uncanny how an RC plane can find the lone tree in a big field, but it can. So:-Lite or no wind-A FULL charge on the battery-Big open field-Hand launch at a slight upward angle and into the wind.-Full throttle until you get a good 35-50 feet of altitude.-Repetitive taps on the rudder to overcome the built-in bias-To land, cut power off, as the plane glides in give it bursts of throttle to keep the nose up.This plane is durable enough and easy enough to survive the many practice flights needed to learn basic flying and graduate to bigger and better planes.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I bought this due to the fact it was low priced, and I had gotten another type from a flea market![...]

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Overall a good product. For [$] you get a plane and an extra prop. The problem i have with mine is it always curves to the left. Other than that it is very durable. It has a snap off wings for crashes. The only oher problem i have withit is that in windy conditions the plane just swirves out of control. I think this i a great deal for [$]

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I purchased this plane with no preconceived conceptions as to how it would operate.I had a feeling that the "you get what you pay for" saying was gonna bite me. @ [$], I had a feeling it may be a "lemon"... But I bought it anyway.Got it home, charged it and read the booklet while it was charging.Took it out to the field, and was dissapointed at first, as I could not seem to keep it more that 10' above ground most the time which didn't allow enough "banking room" to turn.After crash #5, I picked it up and noticed one of the prop blades had bent. So I rebent it, and also adjusted the other one, which seemed to be out of whack also.All I can say is WOW! After that, it flew like a dream. I can bank to the left with no problem, however banking to the right is much more difficult, but can still be done as long as you have the room, and the remote does not go out of range.I kept it up for a total of 11 minutes (personal best) before the charge went dead, but was able to fly it right back to my hand.(which impressed my wife)I feel that this plane's design is actually a very good one. The "break away" wing is a real life saver. When you crash, if it is a severe one, instead of breaking, the wing simply comes "undone" from the plane via the press and snap inserts. This is a very good idea and had made an otherwise "cheap" RC plane a very good one in my book.I recommend this plane to anyone as long as they adjust the prop blades prior to flight, and also if your are fine with flying mostly in counter clockwise banks.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I bought it with my allowance and I was so excited. The plane is hard to control and when it fell to the floor it fell apart. Then it wouldn't turn off so I couldn't even put it down. It was ready for the garbage after never even flying. But, I bet it is powerful enough to shred your newspaper.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

If you want to waste your time and money, buy it. I went though three different planes and none of them flew. If it wasn't the prop bad it was the rudder not working and or the wing kept falling off. It was a big joke.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

it sort of flew, and only made left turns. where are the three speeds on the radio

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

why did this stupid airplane not work i took it out side and now after like ten minutes the stupid thing died and won't work any more!!
i thought i was gunna be cool.... i'm sad now...

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I love this and my children love it tooo. They have had a lot of fun and i have easily gotten my moneys worth out of this product!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I tried to get my son to do some homework before buying an RC plane, but, of course, he didn't. It crashed the first flight (on the street - he didn't read the instructions very well either) and then the motor wouldn't turn off. It finally shut-off automatically, but we couldn't get it to work right after that. [...]

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Bought this plane for my 11 year old son. but being skeptical of cheap r/c planes, thought I'd try it first. Flies OK, but doesn't turn with the remote, only on it's own!. OK, maybe this one is defective. Exchanged [...], second is just the same. Returned for refund. Very unhappy, am going to contact both [...] Corporate & Estes Cox. No one should sell a product that doesn't work as advertised.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I bought one of these about a week ago and it couldnt even pull up over 7 feet. I adjusted the alignment and it was still flying left.Not a good airplane.The engine is weak and the whole thing is low quality!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I purchased it pretty much on impulse while I was shopping for epoxy to repair another flying machine with...it looks quite nice on the box.[...]It is easy enough to assemble & charge, but it doesn't do what it was designed to do - that is - FLY. :-(I exchanged the first one because it didn't fly and because the wing would not stay on; the replacement also fails to fly. Even when thrown upwards with full throttle, it maintains a more-or-less ballistic trajectory between the time it is thrown to the time it crashes.I modified mine by adding wheels (no help there) and adding vertical elevators to the tail wings which I'll test tomorrow (07-26-07).

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

it needs a better engine

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

This plane is just ok. The price is good but the perfomance disappointed me. The wing rivets break off easily if you crash it. Also, you have to throw it to get it flying, no wheels. When it crashes the prop slides down the motor shaft and rips up the front end of the fuselage. Do not fly in your backyard unless you don't have a house and your backyard's an empty lot. When you hit a tree or house, the motor shaft will bend and the plane will not work anymore. If you are going to buy this plane I recommend you buy 6 rechargeable AA.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Very easy once you get the hang of it. I've now bought 3. The first one was the learner, the second two I alternate, one to fly while the other charges. I would buy 10 more if I needed to. Excellent value and ease of use. Can I say perma-grin? :)

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I was unable to get this one off the ground. Bad experience. recomend the transformers one or the sky rangers! I got the sky rangers one and it flew well for quite a few flights then the motors gave out.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

looked good on the box but flying was pretty bad. Bad propellar design and crash just ruines the front leaving it unable to fly

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Works very well. Prop gets pushed in when you crash it, but it is more rugged than I thought it would be. I had to pull prop outward with pliers after about 10 crashes (prop slides down motor shaft and gets jammed onto fuselage). Comes with spare prop. Had to glue one of the plastic rivets that holds the wings on. Very easy to fly for adult, or 6 year old. Only gripe is that green 'charge' LED appears to never go out, while the manual says to charge it until green light goes out. Also, manual says to replace batteries (6 x AA) after only six recharges(!) I would most definitely buy this product again. Lots of fun, flies a long way, easy to control. NOT for the backyard, unless you've got a VERY big backyard.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Zero issues with the plane. Smacked many oak trees and only had to pull the prop back a bit as it slid onto the motor shaft further until the blades touched the fuselage. Excellent rate of climb even in 15mph winds. A bit fast down wind in those winds but a piece-o-cake to fly. (Edited by moderator.) Best to go to an open field. I did fly mine yesterday in my front yard which has lots of trees, hence the reason why I smacked a few oaks in the heavy wind. Depth perception was the issue for me. LOL!!! The plane is setup for left hand turn climbing and right hand turn decent. Straight ahead WOT it will climb which is good. Maybe possible to do rudder rolls, need more clear area to fly mine & try it.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Not good at all. Out of the box would just dive into the ground. Bent some up elevator into it and got it to at least fly. Wouldn't turn. Too much right and down thrust. A very frustrating experience and I am an experienced r/c pilot. Being returned to the store.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

This Plane I think is one of the cheapest little toys I have ever bought! I wish I could return it to the store!!!!!! DON'T BUY IT!!!!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

trash, flew like 4 times and then the propeller rod thingy bent and doesnt fly, will try to return, but dont waste ur time and money on this junk

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

Plane crashed on second flight into a wall and the propeller was pushed in and wouldn't work. Shortest product life I've seen. Pusher propeller would be better given the front 's propensity for damage. It would fly better if made a little lighter. It is surprising heavy for a little plane.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

this thing worked well for the first few flights but every time it crashed the propeler got jamed in and i had to pull it off then put it back on. it crashed and of course i had to pull the propeler off and it broke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I liked it a lot. I recommend it for beginners. When I bought this plane I had to go fly it right away so I went outside and flew, but it was windy. It flew so good. The turns were awesome and when you wanted to go up you just had to increase the throttle. I ran into a power line and lost the tail flap. I'll probally buy another.

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

well the plane looked great and have read some decent reviews the one I picked up had a lose motor and well hit the ground like a rock. SO if you get one check the motor to make sure it is tight. I would swap for another if they had one at the store

Comments about Estes-Cox Sky Squadron RC Airplane:

I've flown this plane a few times now and will recomend this for beginers. The only fault I have found is the wind. Recommended for flying in less than 8mph wind. Do not fly it above. First time I lost control and the wind carried it into a tall tree. On the other hand it fell through the tree to the ground and the wing snapped back off. NO DAMAGE! I snapped the wing back on and flew it another day. It took a beating. The charging system is kind of different but overall this plane works fine for my local kids beginers flying club.